An underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) is where your thyroid gland doesn't produce enough hormones.
Common signs of an underactive thyroid are tiredness, weight gain and feeling depressed.
An underactive thyroid can often be successfullytreated by taking daily hormone tablets to replace the hormonesyour thyroid isn't making.
There's no way of preventing an underactive thyroid. Most cases are caused either by the immune system attacking the thyroid gland and damaging it,orby damage to the thyroid that occurs during some treatments for an overactive thyroidorthyroid cancer.
Read more about the causesof an underactive thyroid.
Symptoms of an underactive thyroidare often similar to those of other conditions,and theyusually develop slowly, so you may not notice them for years.
You should see your GP and ask to be tested for an underactive thyroid if you havesymptoms including:
The only accurate way of finding out whether you have a thyroid problem is to haveathyroid function test, where a sample of blood is tested to measure yourhormone levels.
Readmore about testing for an underactive thyroid.
Both men and women can have an underactive thyroid, althoughit's more commonin women. In the UK, it affects 15 in every 1,000 women and1 in 1,000 men. Children can also develop an underactive thyroid.
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Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) - NHS Choices
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